Henriette Johnsen
How to support your expat child(ren)!
“Where do you come from?” A perfectly normal question to ask first time you meet someone. As you get to know them and realise their...
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A blog about the good expat life
by Henriette Johnsen
Welcome to my blog! Here you’ll find everything from guides on various aspects of Danish culture to personal accounts from other expats - and most importantly, an in-depth look at some of the psychological challenges of expat life. I hope you will use these blog posts to enhance your expat experience.
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Henriette Johnsen
- Feb 25
- 3 min
Friendship isn’t a big thing
— it’s a million little things! - Paulo Coelho. Part of most expats' experience it that it's important to make friends! And preferrably...
Henriette Johnsen
- Feb 12
- 4 min
Do you speak any love languages?
As a couple's therapist working with couples of all ages and genders, across many cultures, religions, and nationalities, I recognise...
Henriette Johnsen
- Feb 5
- 5 min
The significance of mother tongue language in additional language acquisition
Since 1999 where UNESCO founded International Mother Language Day to promote awareness of language and cultural diversity around the...
Henriette Johnsen
- Jan 9
- 2 min
Enhance the emotional connection with your partner
Couples meeting each other with criticism, defensiveness, contempt, stone walling as well as lack of positive emotional connection face...
Henriette Johnsen
- Jan 9
- 4 min
Tips on befriending Danes!
It’s no secret, that Denmark has a lot to offer, but being an expat in one of the seemingly happiest countries in the world, is no walk...
Henriette Johnsen
- Jan 9
- 4 min
Expat life: maintaining friendships at home!
Whilst you may be excited about your move abroad, of starting afresh, meeting new people, engaging in a foreign culture, learning a new...
Henriette Johnsen
- Jan 9
- 2 min
How to deal with the curse of expat friendships
Whilst nurturing your friendships at home, possibly attempting to befriend the locals, you might also want to create a circle of friends...
Henriette Johnsen
- Jan 6
- 2 min
Winter Depression - Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
With the lack of light and the ongoing short days, many people find themselves lacking energy, develop a persistent low mood and become...
Henriette Johnsen
- Jan 6
- 3 min
Self-compassion as part of mental health and emotional selfcare
Compassion means to suffer with; and as such, self-compassion means to suffer with yourself! To feel compassionate with yourself, you...
Henriette Johnsen
- Oct 4, 2022
- 3 min
Repatriation; the hardest journey?
I's taken some time, but thankfully, there's now a lot of support to be had from companies, bloggers, and books as well as from...
Henriette Johnsen
- Aug 23, 2022
- 3 min
Work-life-balance!
This last blogpost in the series of Danish work culture will explore the concept of work-life-balance and its consequences for expats....
Henriette Johnsen
- Aug 3, 2022
- 6 min
Informal communication and humour!
Oh, the number of times I have burnt my fingers and wished, I could have swallowed my tongue before I learnt to not be as candid in...
Henriette Johnsen
- Jul 28, 2022
- 3 min
Flat company structures & implied hierarchies!
Perhaps difficult to navigate at first, many expats say that the quality of Danish work culture contributes positively to their...
Henriette Johnsen
- Jul 24, 2022
- 4 min
Freedom under responsibility!
Being the second of four blogposts on the unspoken rules of Danish work culture, this blogpost will enlighten you on the term freedom...
Henriette Johnsen
- May 29, 2022
- 3 min
Parenthood - balance imbalances!
In Denmark, today is Father’s Day. It’s also Constitutional Day. And speaking of the law, new legislation has been passed on...
Henriette Johnsen
- May 2, 2022
- 6 min
How do you raise children multiculturally?
You are keen for your child to learn another language and experience another culture from the inside, perhaps to make a better life for...
Henriette Johnsen
- May 1, 2022
- 4 min
TCK and ECS - what are they?
Third culture kids and expat child syndrome! Raising children abroad means for them to be different, being the odd ones out. And not just...
Henriette Johnsen
- May 1, 2022
- 4 min
Expat mum! Super hero!
Being a mum is one of the most challenging and rewarding roles in life – I imagine being a dad is the other one! Before motherhood, if...
Henriette Johnsen
- Mar 14, 2022
- 4 min
Protecting your mental health when feeling fearful
How can we regulate our nervous system at such testing times? Read this blogpost to understand your emotional response to the war and for...
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